Please imagine me screaming this, WE ARE A FAMILY OF 100!!!❤
Can't thank you people enough for taking my followers to 100 when I am 0 in regularity...hehe.
I am done with the practicals so got some spare time to write this. It was supposed to be posted yesterday but anyways, it's here.

Happy reading :)
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The golden ball emerged ever so slowly from under the clouds shading the off-white walls of the mansion golden yellow, simultaneously glistening the glassy windows as the golden rays cast on them.

The twittering of the little birds pulled out people from their deep slumbers to get back to their routines. Ramdhari had come on his usual time and busied himself in doing his chores. Unfazed by the outer world, Sameer dozed soundly relishing his cozy and comfy mattresses. His one arm spread out while the other one kept on his chest. The light peeping in through the curtains illuminated the room.

Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand on his face before lazily turning to his side, his eyes still closed. The next minute his lips automatically curved up in a small smile as the sound of a soft, angelic voice chanting the prayers harmonized with the chiming bell fell in his ears. Naina. He opened his eyes and stretched his arms up. Getting up from the bed, he ran his fingers through his silky hair.

Putting on his flip flops, he made his way towards the bathroom to do his morning business. Coming out, he made his way outside the room. The minute he opened the door, he was met by a serene and pure ambiance. He stepped down the stairs and made his way towards the temple.

His eyes twinkled in fondness as he took in the sight in front of him. Naina was sitting with her knees folded on a mat, her palms joined together, eyes closed, lips curled slightly up. She sat completely oblivious to her surroundings as if she was in some sort of a trance.

Ramdhari came towards Sameer who stood there with his in the pockets of track pants, watching her. Just then, Naina opened her eyes and bent down to take the blessings. Sensing their presence, she looked towards them and passed a small smile before picking up the Thaali kept in front of the idol.

A diya lit in the middle, some marigold flowers put around it along with a small bowl carrying a small amount of sugar as Prasaad. She touched her forehead at its edge after standing up in her place. Walking forward she reached in front of them with a smile lingering on her face.

"Good morning." She greeted while forwarding the Thaali towards Sameer. He hovered his hands over the flame and ran them over his head as a gesture to take blessings closing his eyes for a moment. Opening them, he smiled, "Good morning."

Naina put some sugar in his right hand and turned towards Ramdhari who repeated the same.

"Sach batayein Bhabhi, subah subah iss shaant mahaul mein kaam karke bohot acha lagta hai. Sab aapki wajah se." Ramdhari remarked to which she replied, "Din ki shuruat hi agar achhe aur shaant bhaavon se kari jaaye toh din zaroor acha jata hai." Ramdhari nodded in agreement. 

Sameer revived the conversation which had taken place a couple of nights ago. Ever since then, this had been an everyday morning scenario in the house.

Sameer was loosening up in the balcony after a much tiring day. All he wanted was a cup of strong black coffee to rejuvenate himself. As if to fulfil his unspoken wish, Naina had brought his black coffee along with a cup of tea for herself planning to have it in her room while working. However, this couldn't happen when he casually asked her to sit. The conversation led to them reminiscing some ventures of Nanu. She told him about their conversations when she used to meet him every Thursday in the temple.

"...Itna kuch hua meri life mein, uske baad humesha ek doubt rehta tha mann mein ki bhagwan pe vishwas Karun ya na karun. Nanaji ne mujhe samajhaya, ki jo log mandir mein prarthna karne aate hain, zaroori nahi woh humesha kuch maange. Iss duniya mein koi bhi aisa nahi hai, jiski saari khwahishein puri hui hain. Koi na koi kami humesha rehti hai. Par humare paas jo hai, humein uske thankful hona chahiye. At least aaj main sahi salamat toh hun. Uske baad main jab bhi mandir jaati thi ek alag sa satisfaction milta tha, mann ko shaanti milti thi."

Instead of being jealous over the fact that someone else too shared such a deep bond with his Nanu, he used to feel complacent every time she would share similar incidents with him. He was mindful of the hardships she might have endured, though she had never talked them out in front of her. But at least there was someone to guide her and Nanu being that someone gave him immense gratification.

"Toh tumne yahan pe aake pooja karna kyun chhod diya?" He asked softly.

She looked up, "Mujhe laga aapko shayad achha na lage."

"Arey, tum yahan koi guest thodi nahi ho. Tumhara jo mann kare woh karo. Mujhe koi problem nahi hai. Din ki shuruat hi agar positive vibes se ho toh kisko problem hogi." He passed an assuring smile which she reciprocated. It was true, she didn't feel like a guest in this house anymore.

The very next day, waking up early, she cleaned the temple area thoroughly and sat down to pray, lighting up the Diya and incense sticks. The sight made Sameer stop dead on his tracks when he came downstairs and saw her. Her face devoid of any makeup gleamed with purity and innocence. The wet tendrils peeked out from the sheer dupatta put over her head. She looked so serene.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet fragrance of Jasmine. It was like he went back to the time when Nanu was there as if he would walk in with the praying Thaali and would offer him his favorite sweets, showering ample blessings to him.

A flicker of pain flashed in his eyes as reality hit him, Nanu wasn't anymore. It was all the same, the surroundings, the aura, it all felt the same. But in place of Nanu, he saw Naina walking towards him carrying the Thaali. He stood there in a daze watching her taking slow steps towards him. It was like God was trying to hint at something for which he had no clue, not yet. His lips curved up on their own accord in a genuine smile. This little gesture from her side made his heart swell in admiration.

Naina stood nervously in front of him. His intent gaze held a glimmer of wonder. As soon as the smile appeared on his face, it sufficed to erase all of her nervousness. As she offered him the Prasaad with a smile, he took it wholeheartedly. No words were exchanged. They weren't needed. His gratitude had been conveyed to her effortlessly.

For Sameer, Sundays had never been like Sundays after Nanu had gone. They were more like normal working days, the only difference being he used to work from home. The evenings used to be for his video calls with Munna-Pandit but those too had lessened due to work commitments. But now, this new building connection with Naina was bringing many changes. Changes for good. For instance, they no more kept themselves confined in the walls of their rooms for the whole day.

"Bhabhi, aaram se kariye, tel garam hai." Ramdhari's voice fell into his ears. Naina had resolved to refine her cooking skills under the guidance of Ramdhari. Sundays had been booked for her to learn new recipes. For a basic start, she had started up with some easy-to-cook snacks and had also taken care of the fact that the nutritional value shouldn't be abated.

Today, she was preparing some crispy Veg-Cutlets. Instead of deep-frying them, she had suggested going for shallow frying. At times, she would also recommend some quick and smart ways to Ramdhari for saving time which he would gladly accept.

Sameer got up from the sofa after folding the newspaper and walked towards the kitchen to have a look at what was being cooked today. Standing at the entrance, he looked at her. She was making patties by taking little portions of the veg mixture. Carefully dipping it in the thin batter of rice flour, she put it on the bread crumbs making sure it is coated properly.

The utmost dedication she was putting in didn't draw her away from her task to even acknowledge his presence. He liked this quality of hers. Be it working on the balance sheets for hours in the office or making patties for cutlets, she did everything with full zeal.

Taking one of the patties, she lifted it to put on the pan not before checking the temperature of the oil to be hot enough. Just when her hand was inches away from the pan, her attention averted to him. In a daze, she put the patty without caring to look at it due to which the oil splattered making her flinch. The smile on his face was replaced with concern. In a flash, he was next to her.

"Dikhao, lagi kya kahin pe...? Dhyan se kara karo na..." Taking her hand, he began to look for any sort of an injury or burns. Luckily there weren't any. When she should be acknowledging his words, she kept gazing at him. Not only his care had taken her off guard but his touch also made her heart skip a beat.

"Sameer...mera haath thik hai, kahin nahi lagi." She tried to assure him when he didn't look convinced.

"Lag sakti thi. Haath jal jata toh?" He retorted, still not leaving her hand. "Aur tu kyun hai yaha pe, sahi se dekhna chahiye na..." He didn't even spare Ramdhari who stood with a worried expression on his face.

Naina was befuddled by his reaction. Before he could reprimand the poor man anymore, she intervened, "Arey aap itna pareshan kyun ho rahe hain, khana banate time thodi bohot toh lag sakti hai. Aur dekhiye kuch bhi nahi hua hai." She pulled out her hand from his hold to bring it in front of his face. "Ab aap jaaiye, aur wait kariye, mujhe jaldi khatam karna hai yeh..." She prodded when she saw his gruff expression.

"Thik hai, par araam se karna...warna rehne do." He said, his tone a bit soft this time.

"Par aapko toh koi problem nahi thi, fir ab...aapko acha nahi laga kya?" She asked hesitantly.

"Ohoo...maine aisa kab kaha? Main bas yeh bol raha hun ki aisi koi emergency nahi hai, fir tum kyu bina matlab mein lag rahi ho inme?" He inquired.

"Maine bataya toh tha, ki main humesha se seekhna chahti thi. Pehle toh Shaila Chachi thi par kabhi kabhi woh bhi toh nahi aati thi, tab samajh hi nahi aata tha kya arrangement karun...aisi situations ko dekhte huye hi maine decide kiya tha ki khana ache se banana aana chahiye." She explained the reason to him. His furrowed eyebrows relaxed as he pondered over her situation. Living alone wasn't a piece of cake.

"Naina main mana nahi kar raha hun, tumhe pata hai na tumhara jo mann kare tum kar sakti ho, bas dhyan rakho. Aur mujhe kya problem hogi, waise bhi iske haath ka khaa-khaake bore ho gaya hun...." He bobbed his head towards Ramdhari whose eyes widened, "Achha bhaiya, yeh sahi hai matlab. Itni mehnat se banate hain hum aapke liye sab kuch aur aapko kadar hi nahi hai." He said with a frown. Sameer chuckled and exited the kitchen to proceed with his workout session.

"Bhaiya woh mazaak kar rahe hain, aap dhyaan mat dijiye, idhar aaiye aur mujhe bataiye isko kitna fry karna hai..." She said to Ramdhari.

She couldn't decipher why she'd often become timid whenever he would come in front of her. It might be because this new friendship phase was all new for both of them. There were a lot of aspects of this phase that were yet to be discovered.

Nevertheless, she had been noticing certain changes in her own behavior. Earlier, she used to feel a bit apprehensive while talking to him, but now, she was slowly becoming used to it. She was coming to be nearly successful in her attempts to talk to him openly, just like how he does.

Sameer was himself taken aback by his response a few minutes ago. He didn't know what kind of force had pushed him to check if she was okay. It had happened in an instant, even before he could think. 'Pata nahi kya karta hun main bhi...' He mentally chided himself thinking that she might be judging him. Entering his room, he changed into a dark blue vest and grey track pants. Putting on his White running shoes, he made his way to the garden alongside the swimming pool.

Twenty minutes later, the breakfast was ready. She served everything on the dining table before going to the living room to call him. Sameer was nowhere in site making her puzzle, "Kahan chale gaye? Room mein honge shayad, bulati hun..." Before proceeding upstairs, she quickly went into the kitchen to bring a lid to put on the dish to prevent the cutlets from getting cold.

Ramdhari had already gone to the terrace to hang their washed-up clothes for drying. She had just moved from her place when some low grunts halted her. Looking around, she found they were coming from the poolside. Being curious she walked towards it to check. 

As soon as she reached the gateway, her breath hitched, literally. She gulped at the scene. Sameer was occupied burning his calories. His muscular body moved up and down as he did the push-ups. The brawny muscles of his shoulder and arms stretched with rhythmic contractions and relaxations. The vest was of no help as it stuck to his skin due to all the sweating as a result of vigorous exercise. Funny how a simple process of perspiration can give rise to tingles in the nerves of someone.

She had seen him in this outfit many times but watching him live made her shudder. She tried to calm her heart which was pounding hard. Butterflies were swarming in her belly but her eyes refused to avert on their own accord. As if this wasn't enough, he looked up.

Seeing her standing there, he straightened up from his position and ran a hand through his hair which too had become damp. The sight of his front doubled up the sensations as dark patches had formed on his vest accentuating his taught abs. The tattoo on his neck completed his "handsome hunk" look.

"Haan bolo Naina." he asked her while picking the towel that was resting on the chair and began drying himself. She wasn't even blinking. He came in front of her and asked gently, "Naina, tum thik ho?"

She was jerked back to reality. She blinked a few times rapidly before opening her mouth to say something but the words came out in chunks, "Woh...Breakfast khaa liya hai aap bana dijiye..."

"Kya?" His brows furrowed in amusement whereas Naina's face flushed with embarrassment. She wanted to hit her head on the wall to put some sense in it.

Closing her eyes for a brief second, she said, "Breakfast ban gaya hai, aap khaa lijiye."

He nodded, "Haan main shower leke aata hun." Not being able to meet his eyes, she twisted on her heels and left hurriedly confusing him. Not stressing over it much, he shrugged and made his way to his room.  

After a quick shower, he returned to the dining table. In this span, she had calmed herself and was now impatient about his opinion on the dish. Taking a seat on the table, she forwarded the dish, "Please taste karke bataiye kaise bane hain..."

Picking up one of the crispy cuboidal cutlets, he split it into two halves and blew air in it to moderate it down. Dipping it in the ketchup, he plopped it in his mouth. She just sat there waiting eagerly for his review.

"Hmm..." He made a sound of thinking deeply, still chewing. Gulping it, he finally said, "Ache banaye hai yaar...I mean lag nahi raha first time banaye hain."

"Sach!!?" Her voice raised out of excitement impulsively. "M-matlab sach mein ache bane hain kya?" Seeing his raised eyebrows, she asked in a rather soft tone.

"Haan sach mein, iss baar main sach bol raha hun...taste karo tum." He gently pushed the plate in her direction.

He hadn't said it to reassure her like the previous time, they indeed tasted good. Ramdhari too entered, eager to know if his Bhabhi had succeeded in impressing his Bhaiya.

"Kaise bane hai Bhaiya?" He asked Sameer who was busy eating no gobbling the cutlets.

"Achhe hi banenge na. Pata hai agar khaana mann se banao toh tasty banta hai. Tu na pakka mann se nahi banata hoga. Dekh Naina ne kitne tasty banaye hain." He offered him by forwarding the dish in front of him.

Ramdhari picked one with a scowl on his face and kept it on a separate before tasting. "Sach mein Bhabhi. Bohot achhe bane hai." He said in delight.

"Yeh sab aapki wajah se. Thank you mujhe achhe se sikhane ke liye." She tilted her head giving him a grateful smile.

Sameer saw the exchange between her and Ramdhari. He wasn't an ordinary servant in their house. There never had been any complaints to create doubts about his honesty. Yet, Naina always treats him like an elder to her which added another plus point in his list of her qualities. 

Later on, Naina listed the items to be bought when she came back to her room. Not having too much work, she had gotten ample time to make her day productive. Dressing up in a Teal colored plain kurta with matching white palazzo pants and a Dupatta, she walked towards the mirror. She never said it out loud but Buaji's words did hurt her.

It was true that she was trying hard to look equal to his status but having no helping hand, she didn't know how to do it. Her lack of experience in the grooming field had made her hear taunts here to fore, so she never bothered to put extra efforts in improvising her looks. Yet, she was ready to give it a try even if it was bringing variability in her budget. 

For a start, she had begun to buy branded cosmetics such as Shampoos, Face masks, Lotions, etc. On Smriti's insistence, she also got a hair mask that would supposedly enrich her hair. However good be the results, for her, branded always equaled expensive.

Asking for help from Sameer didn't feel appropriate since it could influence their newly formed alliance negatively. She sighed heavily, not sure how to lift this baggage. Brushing her hair with a comb, she picked up her purse and moved out to leave.

On her way downstairs, she found Sameer in the living room who was watching TV. Gazing at her purse, he asked, "Kahin jaa rahi ho?"

"Haan...thodi shopping karni hai." She answered.

He nodded, "Main chalu kya tumhare saath?"

She denied, "Nahi nahi, main chali jaaungi."

"Okay, dhyan se jaana." He said and turned his gaze back on the TV when she left.

*****

It was already evening when she came back. Sameer was busy talking with Munna-Pandit like every week. She retired to her room to have some much-needed rest. At dinner, he verbally told her to make some modifications in the bill which she paid attention. As she opened the laptop to do the said work, it denied to turn on, "Ab isko kya ho gaya..."

She pressed the button two-three times but in vain. "Yeh sab mere saath hi kyu hota hai...Pehle yeh darwaaza kharab aur ab yeh laptop, iss room mein hi gadbad hai." She complained to no one. Not left with any option other than asking for Sameer's help, she stood up in exasperation. Apparently, he was in the study so she advanced in its direction. 

Reached the door, she knocked gently waiting for his reply. "Come in, Naina." His voice came from the other side. She entered inside and saw him going through a bunch of papers kept on the table. 

"Main tumhe call hi karne wala tha, tum bhi yahin aa jati kaam leke, saath discuss karke kar lete." He said to her. Seeing a hint of hesitance on her face, he asked, "Kya hua?"

"Uhh...Mujhe aapki help chahiye..." She began when he nodded, "Mera laptop on nahi ho raha hai. Bohot try kar liya, charger se bhi kuch nahi ho raha. Aap check kar sakte hain kya ek baar warna kaam nahi ho paayega..." She said fidgeting her fingers.

"Jab on nahi ho raha toh mere check karne se kya hi hoga. Ek kaam karo, mera use karlo abhi. Tumne data kahin separately store kiya tha?" He asked. 

She nodded, "Maine pendrive mein sab kuch save kara hai." For emergency purposes, she regularly kept a backup ready with her. If not for the pending work, she would have refused to his offer.

"Mere room mein table pe rakha hai, le aao." He said before returning to the papers. She rushed upstairs and opened the door to his room. Rather than a cold environment as she had presumed, his room had a relatively warm ambience. Before this, she had only gotten a glimpse or two from the outside, so technically, this was the first time she was seeing his room.

The walls had been painted with the lightest shade of green and white. His large wooden bed connected with the wall behind it. The window with cream translucent curtains screened the moonlight entering inside. She looked around, it was all clean and tidy. The objects on the table were organized neatly. 'Main Sameer ko kehte kehte thak jaata hun ki apna saman sahi jagah pe rakhe, woh sunke ansuna kar deta hai. Pata nahi aage kaise karega.' She recalled Nanu's contrasting words to what she was seeing now. Absence of someone really teaches you lot.

What caught her attention was his large size photo which hung above on the wall behind the bed. He looked quite young. All of his features were still the same except for his hair which were a bit long and the slight stubble now. Yet there was one difference, his smile reached his eyes in the photo which she hadn't witnessed in the present till now. Something tugged her heart and she silently prayed to bring this smile back on his face. She found the laptop in the said place. Picking it up with extra caution, she exited the room locking the door behind her.

In the study, she settled on the couch with her stuff and his laptop. As she switched it on, the window asking for a password displayed on the screen. Before she could ask, his voice came, "Password hai 'Sam0711'." Her gaze shot up towards him who was arranging the papers. She had expected him to enter the password by himself. It was a pretty big deal. Typing the password shortly, she directly went to open MS Excel to do her work.

The next few minutes went by in silence. The tapping of keys as she typed vigorously, the ticking of the wall clock, and the rustling of the papers were the only sounds prevailing in the room.

After a while, Sameer placed the file work back on the table and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. Rotating his chair a little, he took a look at Naina. She was busy noting down the numbers on a paper from the screen.

In the midst of doing the calculations, she straightened and her lips shaped in a small pout, her brows crinkled. She looked in some sort of confusion. As if to answer his doubts, she called out his name, "Aap idhar aake dekhenge please. Mujhe inn entries mein thoda error lag raha hai." She lifted her gaze from the screen and jerked slightly when she found him already looking at her. Tucking a small strand behind her ear, she asked, "Kya hua?"

He passed a faint smile and shook his head while getting up, "Kuch nahi."

He reached by the side of the couch she was sitting at. Placing one hand on the corner of the back and another on the armrest, he crouched down to look at the screen, completely missing the proximity between them. She began to feel jittery. Her eyes automatically shifted to his throat as his adam's apple bobbed while he spoke, "Kahan pe hai error?" He asked.

She slowly leaned forward to focus on the screen. Using her pen, she pointed it towards the screen to show him.

"Yeh..." Her voice surprisingly came out a little hoarse. Clearing her throat, she proceeded again, "Yeh hai yahan pe." He understood what had gone wrong and began to instruct her. She concentrated or more specifically, tried to concentrate as much as she could under his vicinity. As he finished, he turned to look at her to ask if she understood and that's when he became aware of how near their faces were. He straightened promptly and cracked his conjoined fingers. Naina released a heavy breath which God knows how long she had been holding.

"Umm...baaki koi problem ho toh bata dena." He said before taking his seat. She just nodded and diverted her attention back to accounts.

While wrapping up, her gaze fell on something which was much of her interest. It was a wooden bookshelf which conserved several Best-Selling books, both National and International. Her eyes glazed like a child when he sees his favorite candies. She found herself standing in front of it the next minute, scrutinizing them. For a while, she forgot that there was someone else in the room too until he voiced, "Tumhe books pasand hain?"

"Haan, bohot." She replied with a smile and then turned, "Aur aapko?"

He shrugged, "Zyada nahi. Thodi bohot padhi hai maine woh bhi jo Nanu ne recommend kari thi." He paused before saying, "Mujhe movies zyada pasand hain. Time bhi kam leti hain aur entertaining hoti hain."

"Mujhe toh books hi zyada achhi lagti hain. Inhe padte time aap khud ko ek alag hi duniya mein paate ho, jaise aap khud uss book ka koi character ho. Agle chapter mein kya hoga uski excitement hoti hai, woh haste hain toh aap haste ho, woh rote hain toh aap rote ho, aur jab koi kahani khatam hoti hai toh aap end mein thoda dukh hota hai par khushi bhi hoti hai ki mujhe itna kuch seekhne ko mila usse." She let out all of it in a flow. Her eyes were dreamy throughout the whole narrative which couldn't go unnoticed by him.

"Hmm...ab samajh aya Nanu tumhari itni taarif kyun karte the. Unhe bhi bohot pasand tha books padna. Mujhse bhi kehte the par mujhe thoda boring lagta tha." He smiled sheepishly making her chuckle.

"Fir toh aapke aur mere khayalat iss maamle mein bilkul alag hain." She remarked.

"Par it's good na, isi bahane baat toh ho paa rahi hai ache se humari. Tum movies bilkul nahi dekhti kya?" He asked.

"Nahi, aisa nahi hai. Maine dekhi hain par bohot pehle, woh bhi 90s ki." She told him.

"Fir toh Sunday ke routine mein ab movies bhi add karni padengi. Kuch movies hai jo tumhe pasand aayengi bohot. Main aur Nanu toh saath mein bethke bohot dekhte the. Aur kabhi kabhi tum bhi mujhe achi books recommend kar dena...par kabhi kabhi." He rubbed his neck.

This time she laughed, his lips curved up on their own accord.

"Main inme se ek book le sakti hun?" She asked after her giggles subsided.

He said, "Of course le sakti ho. Isme kya puchna."

She mulled for a moment before picking "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho which she had been wanting to read for a long time. The book being at the top section, she tipped on her toes due to which her Kurta tightened at her waist. He watched her. There was something in her movements, something fascinating maybe because Sameer wasn't able to take his eyes off her. She was wearing a simple pink cotton Kurta with white Salwar, her hair tied in a loose ponytail. 

He had never seen her wearing those tight-fitting dresses, unlike other girls who would squeeze themselves in those dresses to look a couple of kgs less. Yet, she managed to look decent every single time. Moving down, his gaze fell on her dainty and curvy waist which had fitted perfectly under the circumference of his arm that night. The sensations in his hand activated as he recalled the scene. Before his line of thoughts could go in the wrong direction, he turned back to compile the papers.

Clueless to this, she simply pulled out the book. Walking back to the couch, she gathered her stuff and handed the laptop to him saying softly, "Thank you."

He took it, "Dosti mein no sorry, no thank you - yeh dialogue toh suna hoga na tumne?" Raising his eyebrows, he passed a smug smile. She smiled and nodded. 

Walking upstairs, they both retired to their respective rooms not before wishing 'Good Night' to each other.

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I know it wasn't very long but this is what I could manage to give you guys. Hope I didn't rush it.

Do give me your reviews and drop a vote if you liked it.

I went through all of your suggestions and would try to include them as much as I would be able to. It won't be possible to show all of it at once, so I'd request you have some more patience.

Lots of love, Sim❣